Well the time now is in the late 90's and at home I had gotten my first computer. My son had nagged me into it and I found soon that I quite liked it and soon got my first email address and found out was spam was!
Cardiff Bus was taking it's first faltering steps into the brave new world and had not even got an email address. But that was about to alter and some computers appeared in the offices. Of course I wanted one but that was a while away.
I nagged them as often as I could and the I.T. section were sick of hearing me. Eventually to shut me up they gave us an old computer stuck in a corner. I did get an office package and an email address. If this seems strange now, back then it was considered a big deal.
Pretty soon I adapted the way I worked to work on the computer. I printed out my work sheets and emailed the stuff to town that needed to go there. I will never consider myself THAT clever on computers but for my age I was not to bad. I think that I was probably the best for the work that I needed to do at that time.
Moving in to the new century and the company bought in more and more computerisation. We soon all were using them, some more than others. I have enjoyed computers ever since the days I first used one to print out my first Christmas card and had no problems. Others were not so used to them and we had major problems now and again.
Then they decided that the job that I do could be automated a lot with a comuter program called Grampian. This was a huge deal and would change the way that I worked for good. Computer specialised were bought in from other parts of the company and a major training update was put in place.
The shifts that I worked were considered at last to be useless as by the time we had worked the first eight hours really we were not fit as we had been up since 2.30 am. So they were changed again to more or less the was I work today with a weekend off once a month and days off in the week other times. We were given a new supervisor, one that was an expert on this new system and the job changed for good.
Next blog, Grampian takes over my working life.
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Shift change
By this time I had been working for quite a few years in the depot and Allocations group and was very experienced. I had been joined on the team by Owen Pritchard and Sue Imhoof and Hilary Jodrell. We all became good friends and in fact Hilary,Sue and myself all got made up as inspectors together back in 1982.
Along with Taffy Ismail the senior man of the group we made a good team and worked well. But Owen was made for higher things and moved through the job onto the training department in the company.
To sort out the shift problems it was decided to change our shifts and the depot man would work eight days on from 03.30 to 2.30 pm. We then had six days off to recover. As I would normally work one of those as a rest day for the extra money I was bloody knackered at times!
This went on for several years and with holidays or sickness from others in the team we just had to work their shifts and get on with it. At one point I worked eleven days on the trot getting up at 2.30 in the morning. By the time that was over I just about collapsed. It was really no way to carry on but we just took it as normal back then.
I worked with Sue most of the time and we took it in turns to alternate the depot shifts. As Sue was single she could please herself what she did when she got home. I did not have that luxury and the hours began to tell.
In the next blog Cardiff Bus begins to slowly modernise and come in to the 20th century and my shifts change again.
Along with Taffy Ismail the senior man of the group we made a good team and worked well. But Owen was made for higher things and moved through the job onto the training department in the company.
To sort out the shift problems it was decided to change our shifts and the depot man would work eight days on from 03.30 to 2.30 pm. We then had six days off to recover. As I would normally work one of those as a rest day for the extra money I was bloody knackered at times!
This went on for several years and with holidays or sickness from others in the team we just had to work their shifts and get on with it. At one point I worked eleven days on the trot getting up at 2.30 in the morning. By the time that was over I just about collapsed. It was really no way to carry on but we just took it as normal back then.
I worked with Sue most of the time and we took it in turns to alternate the depot shifts. As Sue was single she could please herself what she did when she got home. I did not have that luxury and the hours began to tell.
In the next blog Cardiff Bus begins to slowly modernise and come in to the 20th century and my shifts change again.
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Allocations
As I have said the group was called Allocations and it was then and is still now the busiest of all the teams on Cardiff Bus. It was highly specialised and has become more so over the years. More to come in later blogs about that.
There are two areas that we worked in, Leckwith depot where the early morning drivers signed on and Wood Street where the later staff sign on. The same job was done in both but whereas the depot man worked on his own in Wood St there were three people as the holidays and lieu days were organized there and more staff were needed.
When I say that the depot man worked on his own, we did have in the early days what was known as a 'number one'. This was a driver that worked with us behind the counter and would keep an eye out for any drivers that failed to come in. They were trained on every route that we worked and could at a moments notice go out and drive for me.
They were damn useful at times but as they got older and retired they were not replaced. All parts were busy but I liked and still like today the depot area more than town. It was then and still is today noisier and you could laugh and joke a lot more. Think of it as the factory shop floor of the bus depot.
By the time 6.00 to 7.00 in the morning came there would be up to 25 drivers signing on every five minutes or so and many wanting overtime or with other queries. You were on the go and by the time the last one came in glad of a break.
The only downside of the depot sign on was the early start. I started at .03.45 in the morning, a time I am still starting today at. The upside was the early finish as you were away by 12.00. I was OK at it and it certainly sorted out any problems getting up that I might of had!
One part of the job that bored me silly was the manual making up of the sign on sheets. We had to write these out by hand and did for years until the computers came in. That is for a later blog though. We also had to pay all overtime manually and take the sheets to the payroll section so they could sort out the weekly pay.
In the next blog I will describe the change in shifts that came around because of staff shortage.
There are two areas that we worked in, Leckwith depot where the early morning drivers signed on and Wood Street where the later staff sign on. The same job was done in both but whereas the depot man worked on his own in Wood St there were three people as the holidays and lieu days were organized there and more staff were needed.
When I say that the depot man worked on his own, we did have in the early days what was known as a 'number one'. This was a driver that worked with us behind the counter and would keep an eye out for any drivers that failed to come in. They were trained on every route that we worked and could at a moments notice go out and drive for me.
They were damn useful at times but as they got older and retired they were not replaced. All parts were busy but I liked and still like today the depot area more than town. It was then and still is today noisier and you could laugh and joke a lot more. Think of it as the factory shop floor of the bus depot.
By the time 6.00 to 7.00 in the morning came there would be up to 25 drivers signing on every five minutes or so and many wanting overtime or with other queries. You were on the go and by the time the last one came in glad of a break.
The only downside of the depot sign on was the early start. I started at .03.45 in the morning, a time I am still starting today at. The upside was the early finish as you were away by 12.00. I was OK at it and it certainly sorted out any problems getting up that I might of had!
One part of the job that bored me silly was the manual making up of the sign on sheets. We had to write these out by hand and did for years until the computers came in. That is for a later blog though. We also had to pay all overtime manually and take the sheets to the payroll section so they could sort out the weekly pay.
In the next blog I will describe the change in shifts that came around because of staff shortage.
Saturday, 6 February 2010
Moving on
Well of course we all have to move on even after that horrible crash. For some time I did not even want to drive a bus but in the end I just got on with it. The job remained the same and I worked the bus station as normal and the radio control and checked tickets.
The piss taking carried on and what could I do? As I have said you just have to take it. Not that I did not bite back of course. Words and sarcasm have been tools of mine all my adult life and those who gave it out got some of it back. It died down of course a bit but even over 20 years later there are still those that remember it and have the occasional joke at my expense.
About 12 months later the nature of the job that I do changed for the rest of my working life here on Cardiff Bus. I had taken an interest in the depot side of the job for some time and got the chance to make it permanent. I will put something here so that perhaps it is somewhat easier to understand the nature of the job I do now.
Driver's start anywhere in the morning from 04.09 am to 08.00 am in the depot at Leckwith and then later in the day in the town area in Wood St from about 08.30 to 16.30. There has to be a supervisor to sign them on and that supervisor would give out overtime if there is any to be worked,(and there usually is) and if a driver failed to turn up for some reason or phoned in sick he or she has to find a replacement.
We would also make up the sign on sheets, pay the overtime, arrange lieu days and holidays and other things. All in all it is a very busy job. It must be in the blood because my father had done the job before he retired. I took an interest in it and was shown the ropes by Dave Morgan who I had become friendly with over the years. He was getting to the end of his time and showed the young inspector what to do.
When he opted for early retirement the only person who really had knowledge of the job was me. In those days of course experience and knowledge took priority not having a good interview and some paper qualifications like it seems to be today.
So I took on the job that was to last me over 20 years. We were called until a few years ago the Allocations group and I started as a member of a small team. This has expanded over the years as the job has got more complicated. More later over that.
Was I perfect from the start? Of course not, who is? But I picked up more knowledge as the weeks and months passed and learned who you could rely on to work overtime or come in on time and who you could not. There is a knack to dealing with people and I hope that over the years I have learned this skill. I was told by some of the older drivers that I was much like my father in dealing with staff and I will take that as a great compliment.
The piss taking carried on and what could I do? As I have said you just have to take it. Not that I did not bite back of course. Words and sarcasm have been tools of mine all my adult life and those who gave it out got some of it back. It died down of course a bit but even over 20 years later there are still those that remember it and have the occasional joke at my expense.
About 12 months later the nature of the job that I do changed for the rest of my working life here on Cardiff Bus. I had taken an interest in the depot side of the job for some time and got the chance to make it permanent. I will put something here so that perhaps it is somewhat easier to understand the nature of the job I do now.
Driver's start anywhere in the morning from 04.09 am to 08.00 am in the depot at Leckwith and then later in the day in the town area in Wood St from about 08.30 to 16.30. There has to be a supervisor to sign them on and that supervisor would give out overtime if there is any to be worked,(and there usually is) and if a driver failed to turn up for some reason or phoned in sick he or she has to find a replacement.
We would also make up the sign on sheets, pay the overtime, arrange lieu days and holidays and other things. All in all it is a very busy job. It must be in the blood because my father had done the job before he retired. I took an interest in it and was shown the ropes by Dave Morgan who I had become friendly with over the years. He was getting to the end of his time and showed the young inspector what to do.
When he opted for early retirement the only person who really had knowledge of the job was me. In those days of course experience and knowledge took priority not having a good interview and some paper qualifications like it seems to be today.
So I took on the job that was to last me over 20 years. We were called until a few years ago the Allocations group and I started as a member of a small team. This has expanded over the years as the job has got more complicated. More later over that.
Was I perfect from the start? Of course not, who is? But I picked up more knowledge as the weeks and months passed and learned who you could rely on to work overtime or come in on time and who you could not. There is a knack to dealing with people and I hope that over the years I have learned this skill. I was told by some of the older drivers that I was much like my father in dealing with staff and I will take that as a great compliment.
Thursday, 4 February 2010
After the crash
Well as you can imagine after a crash like that I got a lot of stick for it. In some places it would be called 'taking the mickey' but we call it 'taking the piss'. Well I have done my fair share of it in the past and am still doing it today. So you have to take it on the chin.
That is not to say that the staff were not sympathetic because they were. I was not the only person to take a bus under a bridge. Several had been done over the years and ALL by very experienced drivers. But after the initial shock and getting my job back, OH! did it start!
The usual ones like 'a bridge to far' and others came my way and followed me for years after that. Pictures of the bus that I crashed were shown to new entrants as a warning about bridges and the dangers of going of route. I even got my name in 'The Sun', the national newspaper. Just a small piece but it was there.
But when you do something like that there is only two ways to go. You can get nasty and punch the lights out of the first person to say anything or you can take it on the chin and wait for it to die down. And it always will because sooner or later there will be someone that does something else. As I was built for comfort and not fighting of course I just took it.
The boss who had the job to sack me and then give me my job back was behind the scenes very sympathetic. One day not long after the event when I was in work on my own he came in and just said, 'Steve, how the f*^k did you manage that'. We had a long talk over it and he was a good guy. He came across as a hard man but never sacked a man without massive cause.
So that was that and in the next blog I will put in a bit about how my job changed for the next 20 odd years.
That is not to say that the staff were not sympathetic because they were. I was not the only person to take a bus under a bridge. Several had been done over the years and ALL by very experienced drivers. But after the initial shock and getting my job back, OH! did it start!
The usual ones like 'a bridge to far' and others came my way and followed me for years after that. Pictures of the bus that I crashed were shown to new entrants as a warning about bridges and the dangers of going of route. I even got my name in 'The Sun', the national newspaper. Just a small piece but it was there.
But when you do something like that there is only two ways to go. You can get nasty and punch the lights out of the first person to say anything or you can take it on the chin and wait for it to die down. And it always will because sooner or later there will be someone that does something else. As I was built for comfort and not fighting of course I just took it.
The boss who had the job to sack me and then give me my job back was behind the scenes very sympathetic. One day not long after the event when I was in work on my own he came in and just said, 'Steve, how the f*^k did you manage that'. We had a long talk over it and he was a good guy. He came across as a hard man but never sacked a man without massive cause.
So that was that and in the next blog I will put in a bit about how my job changed for the next 20 odd years.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
The worst day of my life
Well as I said in the last blog post I made a massive error that cost a lot of money to both myself and the firm and could have cost me my job.
The day was a Sunday and started normally. I was by this time quite experienced and worked the bus station point a lot. This was even on a Sunday quite a busy place and you were kept on the go. At that time we were quite short staffed and one of the jobs that we used 'spare drivers' for was to go back and fore to the bus depot and change a bus if one came in with a problem.
Well on this day I had no drivers and needed to get a new one from the depot so I decided to do it myself. This was a common event and one that I had done dozens of times. So down I drove to the depot about 1 1/2 miles away and changed the bus that I was driving for another one.
And this is where it all went wrong.......
To go back to our bus depot the route was right from the exit and then on a standard route. I took the left turn, just thinking of something else at the time and took the route that I had taken in my car many times before. What I had forgotten was that I was driving a double decker bus. I turned left from the depot and then the next left. This route had a low bridge there that our buses were strictly banned from.
So I then took a 13 foot bus under a 12 foot bridge......
At the time I could not make out what was going on as the bus just seemed to have problems moving. Well it would do wouldn't it? After a few minutes I realised what had happened and stopped. But by this time I was out the other side and the top of the bus was on the floor behind the bus.
I immediately called for emergency help and got the control room to sort out police etc. After the whole thing had been sorted out I was suspended and told to come back the next day. I was dismissed from the company and after investigation was given my job back due to my good record.
So the cost? Well the bus had to be scrapped and the bridge checked by professionals. For myself I was due a good pay rise and I had been relying on that. But I was glad to have a job I guess and to wait a year for that pay rise was a small thing after that.
I was also charged with driving without due care and attention by the police and had my licence endorsed and fined. But I had a job and just had to put up with the fun that was made of me at the time.
The day was a Sunday and started normally. I was by this time quite experienced and worked the bus station point a lot. This was even on a Sunday quite a busy place and you were kept on the go. At that time we were quite short staffed and one of the jobs that we used 'spare drivers' for was to go back and fore to the bus depot and change a bus if one came in with a problem.
Well on this day I had no drivers and needed to get a new one from the depot so I decided to do it myself. This was a common event and one that I had done dozens of times. So down I drove to the depot about 1 1/2 miles away and changed the bus that I was driving for another one.
And this is where it all went wrong.......
To go back to our bus depot the route was right from the exit and then on a standard route. I took the left turn, just thinking of something else at the time and took the route that I had taken in my car many times before. What I had forgotten was that I was driving a double decker bus. I turned left from the depot and then the next left. This route had a low bridge there that our buses were strictly banned from.
So I then took a 13 foot bus under a 12 foot bridge......
At the time I could not make out what was going on as the bus just seemed to have problems moving. Well it would do wouldn't it? After a few minutes I realised what had happened and stopped. But by this time I was out the other side and the top of the bus was on the floor behind the bus.
I immediately called for emergency help and got the control room to sort out police etc. After the whole thing had been sorted out I was suspended and told to come back the next day. I was dismissed from the company and after investigation was given my job back due to my good record.
So the cost? Well the bus had to be scrapped and the bridge checked by professionals. For myself I was due a good pay rise and I had been relying on that. But I was glad to have a job I guess and to wait a year for that pay rise was a small thing after that.
I was also charged with driving without due care and attention by the police and had my licence endorsed and fined. But I had a job and just had to put up with the fun that was made of me at the time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)